A History of Elmsdale, Elmsdale West, and Brockton, Prince Edward Island

Taxes also helped WWII. Income increased tremendously during the war years. As a result revenue from Income Tax soared. ,,

The Canadian Government had great wartime powers. The National Selective Service did not allowimilitary men to hold jobs it termed non— essential. Such jobs included driving a taxi or selling real estate. Canada’s wartime Prices and Trade Board determined wages and prices and set up a rationing program and distributed scarce goods fairly. This rationing caused much hardship, but actually the districts of Lot 4 were much better off than the town and city folk, as they would pick the many different berries growing wild along the woods, fields and rail- way tracks. They ate them fresh and preserved as many as they could pick for winter months. They grew their own wheat to be ground into Island FamenApril 25, 1944 flour and cream of wheat porridge and grew

their own vegetables. Even those not owning land were encouraged to grow “victory gardens” on land allotted to them by the government. Farmers also had their own meat and traded with the fishermen, meat for fish and vice versa.

The Island Farmer of May 25, 1932 in the section “Alberton News” stated:

Signs of the times are multiplying here these days. Signs of the depression are showing themselves, as they had never done before. The genus “hobo”, it may seem harsh to use this word but it is the only one applicable, is now with us. How they come, whence they come and whither they go is a puzzle here as well as elsewhere. They are not the hardened “hobo” of which one reads but they are pitiable unfortunates upon whom have fallen the hard times. Their presence here brings home to us the trou- blesome question" of what can be done for them. They are not hardened as yet, they are cheerful even hopeful. They are willing to work but there is no work for them, in fact there is no work for many of

our own people who are willing to work...

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